Laura Dern Races Against Time in the Trailer for the Death Row Drama ‘Trial By Fire’

The inequities of the American criminal justice system land in the crosshairs of journeyman director Edward Zwick‘s upcoming death row drama Trial By Fire. Jack O’Connell stars as a man convicted of murder and placed on death row in Texas and Laura Dern is the tireless ally out to prove his innocence before time runs out. Today brings the first trailer for Trial By Fire, which debuted last year at the Telluride Film Festival and will open theatrically on May 17, 2019 from Roadside Attractions.

Now this particular trailer for Trial By Fire does seem like it gives away way too much of the film’s plot, so if you’re particularly worried about having a true story spoiled avoid watching. However, what this trailer does show that few other movies like this can offer — Laura [expletive deleted] Dern. If you’re asking me, that is the main selling point for Trial By Fire.

Co-starring with O’Connell and Dern in Edward Zwick’s first feature since Jack Reacher: Never Go Back are Emily Meade, Jeff Perry, Jade Pettyjohn, Chris Coy, and McKinley Belcher III. The script for Trial By Fire is penned by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher and is based upon the New Yorker article by David Grann, whose works have been recently adapted in The Old Man and the Gun and The Lost City of Z.

Trial By Fire opens in theaters on May 17, 2019.

The official synopsis for Trial By Fire:

Trial by Fire is the true-life Texas story of the unlikely bond between an imprisoned death row inmate (Jack O’Connell) and a mother of two from Houston (Laura Dern) who, though facing staggering odds, fights mightily for his freedom. Cameron Todd Willingham, a poor, uneducated heavy metal devotee with a violent streak and a criminal record, is convicted of arson-related triple homicide in 1992. During his 12 years on death row, Elizabeth Gilbert, an improbable ally, uncovers questionable methods and illogical conclusions in his case, and battles with the state to expose suppressed evidence that could save him. Her efforts ultimately fail, and since Willingham’s execution, the disturbing question remains: Did Texas execute an innocent man?